I’d like to buy a couple of inexpensive whistles so that my toddlers can learn to play them (or can at least play with them while mommy plays).
What whistle(s) would you recommend for very young children?
I’ve been eyeing the Sweetone, but several posts here seem to indicate it may not be the best whistle for a beginner (saying it has sharp edges and requires lots of air). What do you all think?
Thanks in advance for your help/advice!!
I’d say a Generation in the key of G. It’s small enough that little fingers can easily cover the holes, and cheap enough that if they break it there’s no sweat.
Cheers 
Gerry
I’d say a Susato would be best suited for a toddler since they would be much less likely to cause injury.
Don’t let your kids run with a whistle in their mouths in case they fall. Someone reported an injury like that a short while ago. Make “Sit To Whistle” a rule.
I got Gen high G’s for my boys, but they haven’t shown the patience to learn to cover the holes, really.
On 2002-02-11 14:18, WhistlingGypsy wrote:
I’d say a Generation in the key of G. It’s small enough that little fingers can easily cover the holes, and cheap enough that if they break it there’s no sweat.
I second that. My 6 year old daughter got a Gen G for birthday and immediately hit the G (all holes closed), something she never succeeded in on my Sweetone.
But be warned: a 2nd octave E on a G whistle is something all dogs in the neighborhood will notice!
[ This Message was edited by: chrisb on 2002-02-11 15:49 ]
I agree a susato would probably be safer than a sweetone or a generation, however whichever one you choose, please make sure they only use them with supervision, and while sitting. My 4 year old was severly injured 2 months ago when he fell with a whistle in his mouth, he wasn’t running with it or anything just standing there one minute and down the next,so please be careful. He’s fine now but I still feel terribly guilty.
I’m with Gerry,
A small (G or F) Generation is cheap, small enough for tiny fingers and has no sharp edges. I do suggest though that you make a rule: “you have to be sitting down when you play your whistle”. Little ones invariably want to run around with a whistle in their mouth - not a good thing if they fall and stick it down their throat!.
If they are just toddlers then maybe (plastic) toy Kazoos might be a good idea. They are safe and they can make noises into them and feel like they are playing along with mama! The Susato is plastic but it has a removable mouthpiece, which might present a swallowing problem. As they get older the Generation F or G become good choices for their little fingers. The comments about supervision are excellent. For mom, a Generation D is probably as good as any. Many people have learned to play on them and some of the best players in the world still use them! However the merit of various whistles is a subject that fills these pages and there are many opinions!
Best wishes, Tom
I probably should have mentioned that I’m going to be learning to play the whistle, so I’m new to all of this. I’d planned to buy myself a couple of D whistles, since (from what I’ve read) most available music and beginner books are written for D whistles.
How do the G and F whistles compare to D whistles? Can a child learn to play a G or F whistle using the same sheet music and/or books that are written for D whistles? Will it sound okay if someone else is playing along on a D whistle, too?
On 2002-02-11 16:21, mwewriter wrote:
How do the G and F whistles compare to D whistles? Can a child learn to play a G or F whistle using the same sheet music and/or books that are written for D whistles? Will it sound okay if someone else is playing along on a D whistle, too?
I don’t have a G or F yet, but a lot of Irish music is written in the key of G, which the D whistle can also do. So those would sound fine together. (C whistles also play in F.)
As far as learning from D music, F and G whistles have 6 holes, just like other whistles, so you can play the same holes covered on a different key whistle as you would for D whistles and it will still play the tune, but it will be transposed to the key that whistle is in.
Does that make sense?
Hope this was a little help,
Cees
PS I forgot to mention that my one-year-old son has a no-name cheap plastic whistle that was $2.00 at a local music store–blue body with white mouthpiece. It works really well for him and he loves it.
[ This Message was edited by: Cees on 2002-02-11 16:36 ]
On 2002-02-11 16:21, mwewriter wrote:
I’d planned to buy myself a couple of D whistles
I wouldn’t buy several whistles in the same key at the beginning. Why don’t you get yourself a whistle in the same key as your kids’? And a C whistle may be useful in case you have to team up with a recorder player (as I have to because my daughter learns the recorder at the kindergarden).
Yes, most whistle music is in the key of D or G, both of which are playable on the D whistle. Your children can use the same books and music as you do. All whistles use the same music but they will sound in a different pitch depending on their key. If you want to play along with your children using the same music, get yourself a whistle in the same key as they have. If their hands are big enough for F whistles you might find that key easier for yourself than the tiny G whistle. So instead of a couple of D whistles, get yourself a D and whatever they are using.
Edit: I see that some of your questions were answered while I was typing!
[ This Message was edited by: Tom_Gaul on 2002-02-11 16:55 ]
I had a customer in the shop last summer, who handed me a Generation G, to purchase. When I asked her why she chose that one, she said ‘it’s just for a baby - it’s small and looks sturdy’. Enough said!
Steve